Princess
by IceQueen707
Summary: Beware! Completely differs from the plot of the cartoon. Just something I made up in my spare time. When an old enemy of Raven's kidnaps her love, what will she do to stop her?
1. In the Beginning

When darkness ruled between the realms, travel between dimensions was virtually nonexistent. Creatures from the corners of places where evil had destroyed all light thrived here, and man's most terrifying nightmares took refuge in the darkness. Finally, leaders of all dimensions decided that the terrors that lived between the realms had to be eradicated. Using their combined powers, they created Azarath, a shining city of marble and light that existed between dimensions and drove the monsters of the night away. The first kings and queens were fair and kind in their ruling, but as the centuries passed the royalty became more and more corrupt, starting to keep the riches of the kingdom to themselves. A titan named Trigon came and promised salivation, for as the goodness of the leaders faded, the light faded also. In return the princess Arella married him and Trigon created a daughter out of thec ashes of a fire. This daughter they named Kiara, who had a natural immunity and control over the elements and energy. However, an old soothsayer revealed a prophecy that said Azarath would be destroyed be Trigon, and a planet called Earth would be destroyed by Kiara. Terrified, Arella hid the prophecy from everyone. Before long though, Trigon showed his true colors and attempted to destroy Azarath for his new kingdom of evil. The monks of Azarath managed to trap him in a partial interdimensional portal, where he should remain for all eternity. The soothsayer told Arella that Trigon had used his godly powers to turn Kiara into a portal that she would release him at the allotted time.

Arella decided that the only way to keep Azarath safe was to keep Kiara away from Azarath. She entrusted her with a goddess named Azar, who built an underground palace for the princess. The palace moved between dimensions every three years, and rarely returned to the same place twice. Azar taught Kiara how to control her powers over the elements and how to use the power of telekinesis. Eventually Azar covered Kiara's aura to change her beautiful appearance into something completely different. Her skin became the dull and gray color of someone that had never seen the sun, and her voice a gravelly monotone. Her magic looked dark and her named was changed to Raven. The young princess from Azarath was completely unrecognizable.

Years later Azar returned to Azarath and Raven escaped the dark prison she had resided in for thirteen years. At this time the underground palace had stopped on Earth, and Raven emerged to see humans milling about on abandoned roads.

After wandering around for a months, an accident caused her to meet the Teen Titans and her life changed forever. Together they survived Blackfire's arrival, Terra's betrayal, and Trigon's return. After Trigon was once more banished, the Titans were glad they finally knew everything about their dark friend. They did not suspect that almost everything they knew was a lie.

* * *

Raven's POV

I always knew it was true. No matter how much I ignored it, somewhere deep inside, possibly the Multiple Intelligences, told me that they were in love. I had silenced Happiness and Jealousy, kept them locked deep inside my mind so they couldn't come out. Sadness and Anger were put into stronger chains than before. This moment though, it almost set them free. I remember that second clearly, and it will always be with me.

_The hallway was brightly lit and filled with the smell of roses. It was Valentine's Day, and I had awoken to a wonderful white rose on the table next to me. Of course I had to thank him. If only I had decided otherwise, than I could have continued to live in happy delusions. But of course I round the corner and see her, flawless skin, flowing hair, glowing green eyes. She was, no matter how much I hate to admit it, beautiful. He obviously thought so too. They were kissing; her arms wrapped around him like an octopus, kissing passionately. I could feel the waves of happiness rolling off them, choking me, breaking my stone heart. I walked quietly away, though they were too busy to notice me. It didn't matter anyway. Nothing mattered now._

Of course he's in love with her. She's beautiful and nice, though slightly unintelligent. I wish I could hate her, but I can't. I'm the opposite of her, reclusive, harsh, half demon.

Ugly.

Here in the darkness of my room, I try to tell myself that I had never loved him, that it was simply an infatuation like with Malchior. Even as I meditate now, I can see my Personalities talking to me.

"Infatuation! You disgust me weakling. Joy tugs on her chain whenever his name is even mentioned! Infatuation, pah!" Rage shouts up at me.

"It's just that stupid, annoying, shallow, superficial, naïve…"

"That's enough!" Courage says to Envy. "I think you're turning greener than my cloak!"

Sadness just whimpers and cries. I think her sobs have been getting louder as I allow myself to sink into this depressing state.

Sometimes I think I'm going crazy. I swear my Emotions are getting louder and more uncontrollable as the hours tick by. Twenty-seven light bulbs have shattered and I've replaced seven mirrors in the entire tower. I doesn't help that he insists on trying to find out why I'm so miserable.

"Idiot! He's practically the son of the greatest detective on earth, yet he can't see when a girl is in lo…"

"Silence Frustration." Wisdom ordered. Her soft white glow appeared on the edge of my mind, making me feel warmer and a little happier than I have been.

"Raven, it is quite necessary that you accept what has happened and move on. If you continue to chain Joy, Rage may eventually take over. Please listen to me."

Wisdom knows I will listen to her. She is the one who guides me now that Azar is gone, and I gladly let her. My granite heart may shatter, but if she says it will help, I believe her.

I try to see her among all my emotions. When I finally spot her she is standing next to Tranquility, their two glows merging.

"How do I…" I begin.

A soft tap brings me from the recesses of my mind back to reality. Someone is knocking on my door. Even before I open it my empathy tells me it is the person I really don't want to see right now.

Robin.


	2. Your Highness

Robin was gently tapping on Raven's door, hoping she wouldn't ignore it like the other fifty times he came to her room. As he waited he thought back to the conversation with Cyborg that had happened two weeks ago.

"Dude, I was wondering, have you noticed that Raven is quieter than usual? I mean, after the whole incident with Trigon she seemed to be more open, but then Valentine's Day comes and the whole process reverses. Do you think she's been having more nightmares?" the half robot man had asked after supper.

"Um, no?" Robin had smartly replied. Mentally he cursed himself, realizing that he hadn't seen Raven for over a week. What kind of leader doesn't notice these things? he asked himself. Of course, he had been too busy with his new girlfriend, Starfire. He felt bad that just because he and the Tamaranian were dating, he had neglected his other teammates. And so he made it an objective for the week to find out what was bothering Raven.

He had to make it his objective for the next week too, and had a sneaking suspicion that it would be his objective for the next three months as well. Whenever he tried to ask the sorceress, it seemed that there was a barrier that kept Raven in and everyone else out. So now he was pacing outside her door, hoping that a more direct approach would work better.

"Raven, I need to talk to you." he called.

The door opened a crack, revealing a tiny sliver of her pale, hooded face. Her amethyst eyes narrowed as she saw him. When she finally spoke, her voice was filled with annoyance.

"What?" she asked, hoping he would leave soon.

"Raven, everyone has noticed that you've been a lot quieter than usual. Cyborg wants to know if you've been having more nightmares."

"Nothing is wrong. Goodbye." The door would have closed then if Robin's combat boot hadn't been in the way. He forced the door open and could vaguely see the shape of the empath. Her black leotard and cobalt cloak blended in perfectly with the shadows.

"Raven, I know you better. Something IS wrong, but why won't you tell us? We want to help you." he stepped forward and grabbed her small, white hand. Raven stiffened.

"Go away." she said in a strained voice, struggling to keep her emotions under control. Robin shook his head and stepped closer.

"Raven…"

"I said, go away." she snapped in a deadly voice. Her eyes started glowing white and the gem set on her forehead started glowing red. Dark tendrils of magic came and grabbed Robin, forcing him toward the door. A mysterious wind appeared from nowhere and blew back her hood and cape. Her short lilac hair whipped around her pale face.

"Raven, stop!" Robin cried out desperately. The dark magic continued to drag him away.

"Raven! Raven stop!"

He heard Raven gasp and instantly the magic holding him disappeared, dumping him unceremoniously out of her room. Raven turned away and put up her hood once more.

"Raven what was that?" Robin asked, more concerned than angry.

"I…I…I…"

The alarm went off, its harsh shriek interrupting Raven's explanation and brought the teens to the control room.

The Teen Titans had come downtown to see a strange girl standing on the street. She had strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes and looked just like someone on earth. Even her clothes were normal, a pink t-shirt and black pants. Still, there was an aura about her that was definitely un-earthlike. It helped that the street around her was completely destroyed.

Starfire shot starbolts at the girl while Cyborg shot his sonic cannon at her. Dodging both, she flung out orbs of green magic that flew directly at them. Starfire dodged, but Cyborg was hit and fell asleep. More sleep orbs were flying everywhere, felling bystanders. Beastboy turned into a rhinoceros and discovered that the orbs simply bounced off his leathery skin. The shape shifter charged and was surprised to see the girl disappear as soon as he got close. He slammed into a building and was knocked unconscious.

The girl giggled. "Silly humans! I'm only here to find someone important. But if you continue to respond in this manner, I'll be forced to exterminate you to complete my mission."

Robin threw a bomb at her, but she projected a shield and deflected it. The girl then created wisps of magic that wrapped itself around Robin's leg and dragged him down. His leg started bleeding where the emerald magic touched.

"Stop!" Raven shouted, cutting away the magic. She quickly flew to the fallen Boy Wonder, hands already glowing with blue healing magic. The deep cuts disappeared without so much as a scar to show that they had ever existed.

The girl hesitated, magic faltering. "Another Azarathian? Were you too sent here to find her?"

She put up her defenses once more as a car encased in black aura clipped her shoulder. Narrowing her hazel eyes with suspicion, she flung another sleep orb at the sorceress.

"Who are you?" she asked. "I know you! Why don't you take off your hood and tell me?"

Raven shook her head, eyes glowing white. "I don't know you." The ground beneath the girl turned to dust, though the flipped onto another section of the street. Starfire shot a green starbolt at the building above the girl, who put up another shield as the building crumbled and fell on top of her. Robin then took out his staff and swung it, though he was thrown back and slammed into a building before it hit. That Tamaranian screamed and flew down to help him.

"Azarath Decto Hadiam Revealos." the girl muttered, hands glowing with a white magic now.

"Show me what this one hides." Raven translated, then her eyes widened with alarm. Quickly she covered the eyes of her teammates with a black magic just as the white magic enveloped her.

"Now I've got you!" the girl screeched in triumph as the sorceress flickered and was replaced with a girl with long flowing azure hair, an opal set in the center of her lovely face, sky blue eyes wide with fear…

"Oh my gods! Your Highness!" the girl shrieked, stopping the spell and falling to her knees. Raven reappeared and floated to the ground, relieving her friends of their temporary blindness. Robin recovered first and snapped a pair of handcuffs on the girl, who ignored him and turned to Raven.

"Kiara, you have no idea how happy I am to see you! We need you to return to Azarath to defeat Pravus, she's destroyed everything! The kingdom's in a state of war and the light is dimming. The monsters will come soon. But now that I've found you, everything's going to be okay, right? Kiara?" her voice trailed off into silence as she saw the stunned faces of the Titans.

"Strange earthling girl, who is this Kiara? Is she nice? Can we meet her?" Starfire asked, completely forgetting the battle that had occurred not five minutes ago.

"What are you talking about? She's right in front of…" the girl stopped once more as the teens gave Raven a puzzled look.

Beastboy spoke first. "That's Raven!" he said crossing his arms over his chest. "Why does she have to go to Azarath anyway?"

"To claim her…"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." the sorceress snapped, wishing that the girl would just shut up about her past.

The sorceress turned away, wincing at the shock and hurt she felt emanating from the girl. "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about." she said again, putting real conviction in her voice. Secretly though, she was sending a telepathic message the the girl.

"_Luliana, I do remember. But don't say anything here! And say you have no place to stay at the right time."_

"What's your name?" Raven asked casually.

"Luliana."

"I'll have to get back to you in this matter. Where are you staying?"

Luliana did her best to look extremely depressed. "Nowhere." she sighed, throwing up her arms. Cyborg noted that the handcuffs they had placed on her wrists was now a pile of green goo.

Robin stepped forward. "You can stay at the Titans Tower until Raven makes up her mind."

A huge smile began to form on Luliana's face. "Really?"

This time Beastboy spoke up. "Sure, why not?"

"Just try not to break anything. I had to replace thirty three TV's when Raven first moved in." Cyborg added, looking pointedly at the empath.

Solemnly, Luliana nodded her head and said in a dead serious voice "I'll try my best."

Raven groaned inwardly. Her friend had always been one for theatrics.


	3. Pravus

"And that's how a toaster works."

Luliana clapped her hands in obvious delight. "How amusing! A small device that burns bread for your convenience! On Azarath, Kia-Raven and I would just use a 'stove' I believe it is called?"

Cyborg nodded, then went on to explain how the keys work on earth to the strange blonde girl. The Titans had all tried to make Luliana feel more at home, even though she had nearly destroyed the city. Starfire took her to the "mall of shopping", where they returned with massive amounts of clothing. Beastboy had amused her by teaching her how to work a gamestation. So far she had beaten him in three straight rematches. The half robot wondered what Raven was doing at that moment.

He didn't have to wonder long. Raven appeared at that moment, combing her short hair back with her fingers. Cyborg greeted her warmly.

"What's up dark girl? I was just teaching your friend here about keys." he said, acutely aware of how strange that sounded. Raven nodded, and stopped directly in front on Luliana.

"I need to talk to you." she said in her dull monotone. Luliana started to bow, but stopped when she saw that Cyborg was looking at her strangely.

"Of course Ki-Raven." she replied, barely stopping herself from saying "Your Majesty." She followed Raven to her room. The door closed behind them and the sorceress muttered a quick spell over her door.

"Now nobody will be able to eavesdrop." she explained, noticing the surprised look on Luliana's face. They sat down on the floor together. "Please tell me everything that happed since I disappeared."

Luliana took a deep breath and began, slowly at first, then gaining speed as her story continued.

"After you disappeared, Pravus said that Arella was unfit to rule Azarath. She crept into the Forbidden Temple and stole some ancient manuscripts, using their power to banish your mother and making her almost impossible to defeat. Azarath fell quickly, and she is using the power from the Forbidden Temple to make herself wealthier! High priestess Lamore sent a few Azarathians to search for you, because if you return and claim your throne, then Pravus will have no choice but to leave. Someone told her though, which is why we have to get you to Azarath quickly, before she can find you. If she does… she'll kill you K-Raven!"

Raven was silent while Luliana told her tale. When Luliana finished, she got up from her place on the floor, and started pacing her room.

"Pravus… I always knew she was up to no good." she said quietly, turning to look at her friend. Luliana obediently looked down and bowed her head.

"Stop Luliana, I'm not a princess here, remember? Nobody knows I'm royalty, and I prefer to keep it that way."

Luliana raised her head and looked Raven in the eye. "You are MY princess, and I will treat you like one, no matter what anybody else thinks." she replied stubbornly.

Nodding in approval, Raven leaned against the wall and smiled a rare smile. "Good, keep acting in that impertinent manner and no one will believe I am royalty." Luliana blushed.

"May I ask one question? Why do you look… different than you truly are?" she asked, hazel eyes clouding with confusion.

Raven laughed humorlessly. "A little spell from Azar, to shield my appearance from those who wish to do me harm. It disguises me well, and helps me distance myself from others so I would not form any attachments. I would have felt far less guilty about destroying the earth if I had no friends."

A vase shattered. Luliana looked at Raven in alarm. She shrugged and flicked a finger at the shattered pottery. The pieces instantly flew up and bonded together.

"Another side effect of the spell. It ties my telekinetic powers to my emotions." she explained.

"Dear friend, much has befallen you." Luliana said sadly, shaking her head back and forth. "But still I must ask you this: will you come back to Azarath with me to claim your throne?"

Raven thought about how many times she had longed to return to her home since she had joined the Titans, the many people she wished to see again. Would the kingdom welcome her? She knew it would.

On the other hand, she had everything she wanted on earth. Her family was on earth. The sorceress was certain that her friends would miss her and want her to return. Robin would miss her, wouldn't he? She was happy here.

"Luliana, I…I…"

The alarm went off.

The Teen Titans plus Luliana ran downtown as fast as they could. There had been reports of a strange, black haired woman with mysterious powers that had demanded the city bow to her. Raven knew instantly who it was.

Pravus.

"I am Queen Pravus, feeble mortals of earth. Bow to me!" she cried as the heroes skidded to a stop behind her. Without missing a beat, Robin threw a boomerang at her back. It promptly exploded as soon as it got near her. A slight breeze blew through the city, ruffling the short black hair the woman had. The gaudy red gown that Pravus wore seemed unaffected by the wind. Atop her head was a garish gold crown, encrusted with rubies and diamonds. She turned around and smiled a smile that chilled the Titans to the bone.

"More mortals? Do you think you can defeat me?" she screeched, sending out waves of red magic that swept the team off their feet. Her cruel crimson eyes narrowed in delight as Starfire fired a starbolt at her. Pravus caught it and sent it back with ten times more force. Starfire barely managed to dodge it.

"Mortals with special abilities, I see. Much better sport than the other humans here." Pravus hissed as Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at her. The blast hit her in the center of the chest, but she didn't even flinch. Instead, the same blue light that his cannon had fired was shot back at him, sending him into a transforming Beastboy. The two tumbled head over heels into a nearby building.

Pravus pouted, her flat features distorting into a vaguely disappointed look. "Not much fun at all!" she said in her best disappointed voice. She stopped abruptly as one of Robin's bombs missed her by an inch. Without even turning her head, Pravus pointed to a nearby lamppost and shot a bolt of red magic at it. The lamppost stretched to twice its original height and grew teeth and horns before wrapping around the helpless Boy Wonder. Raven heard several ribs crack as it squeezed tighter and tighter, cutting off his air.

"Luliana, distract Pravus while I help Robin!" Raven ordered, not bothering to see if the girl was listening. The fearless leader was unconscious, the living lamppost winding ever tighter around his torso. Raven used her black magic to tear the metal like tissue paper. The remaining enchantment fled from the twisted steel. The sorceress used her healing magic and quickly healed Robin's various injuries. He opened his eyes and blinked several times.

"Raven? What…" Robin started to get up, standing weakly and leaning against Raven for support. She tried not to blush and blow something up.

Pravus turned and saw them. Raven's hood had blown off long ago, and the gem in the center of her forehead told the wicked queen the entire story. Cackling in delight, she waved her hands in a downward chopping motion. Scarlet light covered the Titan's' forms, including Luliana.

"Bow to me, pathetic mortals!" she shouted as her magic forced the teens to their knees. She laughed harshly, taking pleasure at these humans groveling before her. Only Raven stood, hands streaming black magic.

"I bow to no one witch." she said coldly, using her powers to throw Pravus through several buildings. The queen seemed dazed, though unhurt.

"Kiara? Still hanging on to life I see. Have you seen my new crown? Are you going to run home to mommy _your majesty_?" she sneered, venom coating her last two words. Raven trembled with suppressed anger.

"It's RAVEN now. You will pay for the damage you've done to my home, mark my words." Raven swore, eyes glowing white. A car was surrounded with dark aura and thrown at Pravus, who merely sliced the vehicle in half. A torrent of other items were thrown in rapid succession, which the queen barely managed to dodge. Raven showed no sign of slowing, but the queen was starting to run out of breath. Finally a bus caught Pravus full force and flung her backwards. She slowly got up, wiping the sweat off her brow.

"You have gotten stronger _Raven_." she panted, attempting to fix her now-messy back hair. "But next time we meet, it will be on my own terms. Be on your guard dear, for I will grow stronger as well. And I fight dirty."

The darkness seemed to bend and fold around her, hiding her for a brief moment. Raven felt the hatred coming in torrents from her just for a second before the queen disappeared, leaving her standing in an empty street with her friends.


	4. Lilies

"Dude, we got beaten sooo bad. And by a girl! Geez, I swear Robin's training is starting to wear off." the green shape shifter exclaimed, blaming everyone but himself for their apparent defeat. He waved his skinny arms around wildly while Luliana looked at him in annoyance.

"What is wrong with being a girl? A girl defeated you, and you blame others? Are all earthlings so biased?" she said, crossing her arms. Starfire shook her head in disapproval at Beastboy until he colored and deep olive green.

"Sorry." he muttered, looking at his shoes with interest. Raven sighed as she attempted to read her book. The chatter and babble of her teammates was starting to irritate her, so she stood up and began gliding toward her room. Robin immediately stood up to follow her, ignoring Starfire's reproachful looks. The Tamaranian had been telling him she wished to do the "cuddling" but he hadn't been in the mood to be crushed.

"Raven, hey Raven!" he said, attempting to catch up to her. It seemed to him that she was floating away faster than she had been a second ago. The dark hallway was starting to turn a corner when he finally caught up with the dark empath. Her hood was up, and she seemed intent on avoiding his face.

"What is your wish, oh wise and great leader?" she asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. He ignored the scorn apparent in her tone and crossed his arms across his well muscled chest.

"I wish you would tell me what is going on." he replied in an even tone, mask hiding the frustration that must have shone in his eyes. Raven looked at the book in her hands and took a deep breath before replying.

"As I have told you before, nothing is going on." she said crisply, stroking the leather cover of the ancient tome. Her gentle fingers felt the dips and flaking gold lettering, helping to keep her calm.

"Really? How come a close friend you never even mentioned suddenly appears out of the blue, calling you Kiara, and brings a crazy lady who says that she's a queen? Can you explain that?"

Black sparks appeared at the tips of her fingers. "No." she said softly, trying to control her emotions. Turning away from her leader, she began to open her book as she glided away. A gloved hand caught her arm and pulled her back to face him.

"Raven, I want to know what is going on. Now." he demanded, gripping her wrist tightly. Violet eyes glared at him angrily as Raven attempted to wrench her arm free. Robin just held on, wondering why she didn't just use her powers to teleport away.

"Let go of me." she seethed, trying to push him away. Robin held on tighter, and his grip became painful.

"Raven, tell me the truth. That's all I want to know."

She stopped struggling, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her lavender hair covered her pale face as she bowed her head. Robin let go of her wrist

"I can't." she whispered as her hand fell to her side. Robin wanted to comfort her, hold her, do something to make the sorceress stop looking so defeated and small. He stood still for a moment, watching Raven attempt to pull herself together. She had never shed a single tear in front of him, except on her birthday, and she wasn't about to now. The Boy Wonder could only watch as the girl fled to the safety of her room.

"K-Raven? Your Highness?" a voice called from down the hallway. Robin turned and saw Luliana walking toward him, noticing the shock on her face as she saw him.

"Err, I didn't mean to say that. I was just…um…um…" Luliana stuttered, seeing the confused expression on his face. She had, of course, realized that the Titans didn't know that Raven was royalty. Raven didn't want them to know either, and Luliana cursed silently as she groped for an excuse.

"Well, bye!" she ended lamely, running toward the living room once more.

"Luliana, wait!" Robin said suddenly. He caught up with the girl and stopped her just before she opened the door to the living room. She didn't look pleased and her hazel eyes darted around while she looked for an escape route.

"I'm not going to ask you why you just called Raven 'Your Highness'." he said calmly. Luliana did not look reassured. "I just want to ask you a quick question."

"What?" she asked suspiciously.

"What's Raven's favorite flower?" he asked, feeling his face flush. The girl gaped at him in plain astonishment.

"I just upset her and want to make it up to her." he added defensively, seeing that a sly gleam had entered Luliana's eyes. She nodded solemnly, not a bit convinced.

"If that's the only reason…lilies. White lilies are her favorite, but amaryllises are okay too. They smell nice." she paused and thought for a second. "Don't give them to her in person. She'll totally reject you." Luliana smiled mischievously. "But she might not. It depends on the boy, and I have a feeling…"

Robin cut her off. "Yeah, okay, thanks bye." he said hurriedly, only making the grin on Luliana's face grow wider. "I have a girlfriend you know. Starfire?" he added quickly.

"Yeah, I know Starfire. Girlfriend huh?"

Luliana's grin was starting to make Robin feel uncomfortable and he knew that nothing he was saying was helping. Muttering a quick goodbye, he swept past her to sit next to Starfire, letting her envelope him in one of her bone-crushing hugs, if only to make a point to the blonde girl staring at him in amusement.

Pravus smiled to herself as she lounged in her reclining chair. Her cruel red eyes gleamed with amusement as she saw the scene unfold in her magic mirror.

So the young sorceress has a crush on that pathetic mortal boy? This could turn out to be interesting. The queen licked her lips at the prospect of a new pawn to play with. And this boy, Robin, he liked her too, no matter how much he denied it. How interesting.

"Maybe it's time I destroyed what you hold dear." she whispered to herself, clearing the image in the mirror to admire her own reflection. "Then I will crush you like the worthless bug you are.


	5. Songs and Secrets

Robin cleared his throat nervously, clutching the bouquet of Easter lilies. The delicious fragrance of the flowers wafted over his nose. He had knocked three times already, and he wasn't going to knock anymore. The fact that it was four am didn't occur to him at all. The Boy Wonder had fought monsters straight from the darkest nightmares of mankind, foiled the plans of the evilest villains, yet he had never felt so anxious in his life. Not even when Starfire asked him to be her boyfriend.

The door opened slowly, and revealing a very angry Raven. She took one look at the bouquet of flowers Robin was holding and her look softened.

"How beautiful." she said in her gravelly monotone. "Starfire will love them, though she likes daffodils more." The door shut as soon as he opened his mouth. Robin cursed silently, wishing that he had thought of some different way to present his apology. He walked down the hall and out the door, breathing in the salty sea air. The sea was so calm at this hour, without any boats to disrupt the soon-to-be sunrise. Even now the sky had the distinctive light tinge. Raven's window always had the best view of the sun.

Robin straightened up abruptly. The window.

He took a small pebble and stood directly under Raven's window before taking aim. The small stone landed on the glass with a satisfying plink. He was about to throw another, larger pebble when the window opened and the purple curtains billowed into the sky. Raven's head appeared, a bemused expression on her face.

"What does the Boy Blunder want now?" she asked as her expression turned angry once more.

"Can I come up?"

Raven stopped and considered it. Robin noticed how her purple hair shimmered in the low light. Violet, lilac, lavender, even the occasional strand of cerulean and indigo appeared in the tapestry of silk that fell around her delicate face. He was shaken out of his revere as the curious voice of the sorceress floated down from the window.

"How, pray tell, do you plan on coming up?"

Robin grinned, then pulled a boomerang from his utility belt with a long reinforced-steel string coiled inside. He shot it up to the window and slowly climbed up the Titans Tower. After a few minutes of climbing, he clambered over the windowsill and landed in an elegant heap on Raven's floor. He hastily stood up and brushed his uniform off. The pleasant smell of the flowers mixed with the smell of sandalwood that always followed Raven around.

Now wishing that he hadn't come, he handed the lilies to a very surprised empath. "They're for you." he said gruffly, starting to back away. "I just wanted to say sorry for hurting you yesterday. It was wrong, and I hope you forgive me."

Raven tried to suppress the happiness that bubbled up inside her. She delicately sniffed a single blossom and put a lily in her hair. Robin admired how the white petals gently curled over her pretty face. He shook the thought violently out of his head a second later.

"Thank you." she whispered, summoning a vase from her room. With one last smile, she ducked back into her room, leaving a very confused Boy Wonder standing outside his door like he had been turned to stone.

"Hey dude, whatcha doing?" a voice behind him asked. Robin turned to see Cyborg walking toward him with his arms full of metal parts. He checked his watch and saw to his amazement that it was already six am.

"Nothing. I was just… doing nothing." Robin replied, still confused. The half robot looked at him skeptically.

"Nothing huh? Your standing outside of Raven's room, looking like a monkey just drove by on a tricycle, and you expect me to believe that you were doing nothing?"

Robin blushed furiously, ducking his head to avoid the curious look the man was giving him. Cyborg took a deep breath, then suddenly choked.

"Dude, what smells like flowers?" he asked. Robin was sure that his face was the same color of his shirt.

Cyborg suddenly caught on, and an impish look entered his eye. "Nothing huh?" he repeated before continuing down the hallway to the garage, chuckling softly all the way. Starfire stuck her head out of a nearby room with Luliana, whose face was covered in a green paste.

"Friend, why do you chuckle in such a way? May I ask what the joke is about?" the alien asked, pretty face lit up with eagerness.

"Nope Star, sometimes I just laugh to have a good laugh." he replied, feeling a twinge of guilt at lying to the poor girl.

She smiled a dazzling smile of happiness. "I shall get Robin and have a laugh with him as well!" she declared, starting to float out of the room. She stopped as she caught Cyborg's look.

"Is something the matter?" Starfire asked, concerned. The half robot shook his head.

"Star, I think it's best we leave Robin alone for a bit." he suggested gently. The girl's face fell.

"Is Robin ill? Does he need Zorkaberries?"

"No, no." Cyborg said a bit hastily, "He's just caught a small, er, bug. He'll get better."

"Why does he not inform us of his disease?" a slightly hurt Starfire wondered aloud.

Luliana broke in, hastily clearing her face of the green goop. "Star, he might not know he caught the, um, bug. Most people don't."

"Will he heal?"

"Most people do."

_Oh the night, makes you a star _

What was that sound? It was so far away. Such a beautiful sound…

_And it holds you cold in its arms_

_You`re the one to whom nobody verses I love you_

Robin struggled into wakefulness. The darkness confused him, until a flailing hand hit a lamp. He switched it on and realized he was in his room. Where else would he be? Momentarily he wondered what had woken him up at this hour of the night.

_Unless you say it first_

He remembered as the words floated slowly to him from outside his room. That wonderful voice…where was it coming from? He was sure that none of the Titans could sing like that.

_So you lie there holding your breath_  
_And its strange how soon you forget_

The Boy Wonder put on his cape and walked outside as the song continued. The hall was empty, though the song was louder here. He heard Starfire's snores through her door and opened Luliana's door to find she was there as well. He thought about opening Raven's door, but decided not to antagonize the sorceress right after he had made amends with her.

_That you`re like stars  
They only show up when it`s dark_

He followed the song up the dark staircase, truly curious about who was singing at this hour.

_Cause they don`t know their worth _

The sound was coming from the roof, that he was sure of. He was about to open the door to the roof when a loud clunking sound came from behind him. He turned to see Cyborg walking wearily towards him.

"Morning." he said sleepily.

"Morning." Robin replied, eager to find the source of the singing. "Did you hear that voice too?"

Cyborg looked slightly concerned now. "What voice?"

"The one coming from the roof."

The half robot listened intently. "I don't even hear anything. Are you sure it wasn't your imagination?"

Robin tapped his foot impatiently. "Of course not. I've never heard THAT voice before, I'm certain."

"Is it Slade again? Were you near any of his stuff?"

"It was not Slade! Slade's not a girl."

"What is the voice saying?"

"It's not saying anything, she's singing something."

"Singing?"

"Yeah, singing. A really beautiful voice too. Are you sure you don't hear it?"

Cyborg shook his head before giving an enormous yawn. "Dude, I suggest you go to bed before you hurt yourself. There's nobody up there, and there's no voice. Remind me to do a scan on you tomorrow."

Then he left, thunderous footsteps echoing down the empty hall. Robin wondered why Raven hadn't awoken. She usually was a light sleeper.

_There are times when the poets and pornstars align and _  
_You won`t know who to believe in_

Robin stood very quietly and tried to open the door to the roof. It was locked, and would not move no matter how much he tugged. Frustrated, he contented himself with pressing his ear to the door to catch the words of the song.

_Well that`s a good time to be leavin`  
And the past knocks on your door  
And throws stones at your window at 4 in the morning_

Four in the morning… that sounded slightly familiar.

_Well maybe he thinks it`s romantic_

The voice was getting quieter and Robin had to strain to hear the words.

_He`s crazy but you knew that before_

_And I think you need to stop following misery`s lead  
Shine away Shine away Shine away  
Isn`t it time you got over how fragile you are _

The sweet words of the song was starting to make Robin sleepy. Now he struggled to stay awake, resting his head on the locked door._  
We`re all waiting  
Waiting on your supernova  
Cause that`s who you are  
And you`ve only begun to shine _

_Yeah you`ve only begun to shine_

The door suddenly opened and Robin crashed onto the roof. The song abruptly stopped as the girl saw Robin sprawled out on the roof.

"I'm sorry miss, I didn't mean to…"

Robin looked around in confusion. He was alone on the roof.

_Won`t you shine shine shine shine over shadow  
Shine shine shine shine over shadow  
Shine shine shine shine over _

_And I think you need to stop following misery`s lead  
Shine away Shine away Shine away  
Isn`t it time you got over how fragile you are  
We`re all waiting  
Waiting on your supernova  
Cause that`s who you are  
And you`ve only begun to shine _

_Yeah you`ve only begun to shine  
Yeah you`ve only begun to shine  
Yeah you`ve only begun to shine_


	6. Kidnapped!

"OK, you're clean." Cyborg said, looking at the long chart in front of him. The sprawls and crazy scribbled lines of the machine seemed to make perfect sense to the half robot. Robin irritably tugged at the electrodes attached to his skin, pulling them free with a pop.

"I told you nothing was wrong. Now get me out of this contraption." he said as he pulled at the electrodes stuck on his forehead. They refused to budge.

"I had to be sure, after that whole Slade incident. I guess you were right about the girl singing on the roof. Why you're the only one who hears her is baffling to me. Now stop trying to break my electrodes! They're expensive."

"Can you get them off then? They're stuck."

Cyborg tugged uselessly at the wires fixed on his head, but was forced to stop because of the loud complaints the Boy Wonder was uttering.

"Dude, I think your hair gel is gluing the electrodes to your face." he exclaimed after the third attempt to pull the wires from his head.

"Well that's just great!"

"Just calm down, I'll get…something to get them off."

Cyborg saw Raven passing by the infirmary.

"Raven! Hey, come help me get these electrodes off Robin." he called. The empath started gliding toward them in her graceful stride. She sighed and put her hand on Robin's cheek.

"Why?" she said as her black magic gently pried the electrodes from Robin's face. She handed them to Cyborg, who frowned at Robin when he saw the flakes of dried hair gel on the suckers.

"Robin thought he heard someone singing on the roof of the Tower. I didn't hear anything so I thought it best to scan him after the dust on Slade's mask caused him to have hallucinations." Cyborg said as he picked the flakes off slowly. Raven stiffened slightly as he said that, though neither of the boys noticed.

"It wasn't a hallucination! I heard it as clear as day, I swear! I could have proved it too, but the door to the roof wouldn't open"

"Yeah, that's what you said during the Slade incident too."

"Maybe he wasn't imagining it." Raven said softly as the two boys continued to argue. They stopped and looked at her curiously. Her face reddened slightly.

"There are many things in my world that could have made the song. Syren is my guess, since we are so near to the ocean." she explained, saying the first creature that came to her head.

"Do they exist here?" Robin asked, slightly disappointed, though he didn't know why.

"They exist everywhere. You're lucky that the door didn't open."

"What do they sing?"

"Whatever entices the listener. It can vary. Now excuse me, my novel calls." Raven said, putting up her hood. For a long moment the infirmary was silent after the sorceress left.

"So…Syren huh?" Cyborg said as an attempt to break the silence.

"Yeah, you might want to upgrade the defense systems." Robin suggested absentmindedly, still remembering the song he had heard. He wondered if Raven was right about the Syrens.

"So, Raven huh?"

"Yeah, you…hey, wait a second!"

Cyborg chuckled obnoxiously. "So I was right! I'm always right!"

Robin scowled. "I have a girlfriend! Starfire, tall, beautiful, red hair and green eyes? Ring a bell?"

"Suuuure. I TOTALLY believe you."

"This is just too good!" Pravus cackled at her magic mirror. "The girl uses Love's Tone to disguise her voice, thinking that no one will be able to hear her. Then the boy she loves can hear her song! This is too good to waste!"

The queen laid a hand on the stack of dusty tomes beside her. The ancient texts held spells lost to civilizations for centuries because of their evil and lethal potential. Pravus had read them and memorized all the spells. She chose one of her particular favorites, then carelessly aimed her finger at a small, lush plant beside her.

"Destructioros." she said softly. The green plant immediately turned brown and shriveled before reducing to a pile of ashes. Pravus smiled cruelly.

"Oh, dear Kiara or Raven, soon I will unleash my power upon the thing that you would give anything to protect. You were quite foolish to believe that I would play fair. But then again, all's fair in love and war, correct?"

"Titans go!"

Business as usual that day. Mumbo the magician decided to rob a nearby bank for the world's largest diamond. The Titans came in to find chaos.

"Tee hee Titans! Come to stop my disappearing diamond trick?" he cackled when he saw them. Robin tossed a boomerang at the large bag the villain was carrying, only to find that the Mumbo standing before them had been replaced by a cardboard cut out. Raven then sensed Mumbo above them and enveloped him in black aura before throwing him against the counter with a loud crack.

"Owie." he said in surprise before getting up. His aqua skin shone sickly under the fluorescent lights and his tuxedo now boasted a prominent rip along the back. Then Mumbo smirked and tipped his top hat. A dozen doves flew out to the teens, exploding as soon as they got near the team. Starfire wrenched a safe from its place on the wall and threw it at the villain. The metal safe went through Mumbo, who was busily examining his gloves. Though it created an impressive dent on the opposite wall, the criminal was otherwise unhurt.

"Dude, have a taste of my sonic blast!" Cyborg shouted as his arm transformed into his sonic cannon. Smiling evilly, Mumbo took off his magician's cape and shook it like a matador. In answer the half robot fired his cannon at the cape, only to have it bounce back and stun him momentarily.

Robin ran forward toward Mumbo, but saw another Mumbo disappear in the shadows. The one his teammates were fighting was a decoy! The Boy Wonder made one of his famous split second decisions, the ones that everyone would thank him for later or yell at him for his stupidity. He ran towards the real Mumbo alone, thinking he could corner the villain. Sure enough, the magician had chosen the corridor that ended with a reinforced concrete wall. Robin stepped towards the cornered criminal, a bomb in hand.

"Give up Mumbo?" he asked while keeping his eyes on the magician. Mumbo turned toward him and smiled cruelly.

"Give up? I think it is reversed, don't you?" Pravus's voice echoed from Mumbo's mouth. Red light enveloped Robin and slammed him against the wall. Mumbo transformed back into Pravus.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt too badly. You'll only stay with me long enough for me to destroy your pretty teammate, be it Kiara or Raven." she said softly as her magic knocked Robin unconscious.

"Where is Robin?" Starfire asked after the police shoved an unconscious Mumbo into the car. Raven and Luliana had ended the battle spectacularly by combining their powers to throw the magician through three walls. They accepted congratulations from bystanders wearily, just wanting to get home and take a nap. Raven instantly woke up when she heard that Robin was missing.

"What do you mean? He was there during the entire battle." she said testily, hoping that the alien girl was simply mistaken. Her hopes sank as Cyborg shook his head.

"Well actually, I saw him go into a hallway halfway during the fight. I thought he had a plan or something." he replied, worried now. He checked the mini computer attached to his arm.

"I'm not getting a signal from his communicator either. This could be bad."

Luliana and Raven shared a look, and Raven knew that her friend shared the same worries she had. With Pravus on the loose, the worse could have happened. Beastboy meanwhile had shifted into a bloodhound and was tracking Robin's trail. The remaining four Titans followed the green shape shifter to the hallway. They saw a broken yellow communicator with a white T glowing on the cover, and Starfire immediately floated over and picked it up.

"Robin? Robin, it it I, your girl who is a friend! Where have you gone missing?" she asked as Robin's familiar masked face appeared on the screen. Raven's eyes violet eyes widened in alarm, not because of Robin, but because she saw Pravus on the screen. The other Titans seemed to think that Pravus was Robin, though Luliana had the same frightened expression on her face.

"I know you can hear this Kiara or Raven. This boy, Robin I believe, is important to you. Am I right?" she smirked as she saw Raven's hands close into fists. "I thought so. He's such a cute little mortal; it would be a shame if the werebears next to me got hold of him."

Meanwhile, the Titans believed that Robin was telling them that he was going to be gone for a while. Maybe a week, two tops. He told them not to worry.

"Be a good girl Raven, and save your love before it's too late. You'll know where to find me." Pravus whispered "And don't even think about going to Azarath for help. If I sense that you two are trying to even reach my kingdom, I can't guarantee that the werebears can stay on their lease." The screen turned black and Starfire turned to Raven and Luliana.

"Glorious news! Robin is unharmed and will be on a small trip for the time being. He will return soon!" she squealed with delight, though her happiness was cut short at Raven and Luliana's pale faces.

"What is wrong friend? Did you wish to talk with Robin as well?" she asked.

Raven smiled weakly, forcing herself to sound normal. "No Starfire, we're fine. Completely fine."

"You can't be serious! Pravus is too powerful, she'll dispose of you in a heartbeat!" Luliana ranted, pacing Raven's room anxiously. Raven sat quietly on her bed, meditating.

"You have to go to Azarath and claim your throne! The life of one mortal for your kingdom is a small price to pay."

The sorceress's eyes suddenly opened. "A life is a life." she snapped at the astonished girl. Luliana stopped pacing abruptly, mouth open in surprise.

"But Your Majesty! You'll be destroyed!"

Raven maintained her calm demeanor. "Then the Fates have chosen my grave." she replied, closing her eyes once more. Luliana sat down heavily, blonde hair a tangled mess.

"What are we going to do?" she whispered, cradling her head in her hands. Raven winced inside, but she allowed Wisdom to surface.

"Pravus may know the spells, but many of them take the utmost concentration to perform with even a tenth of the energy it should have. She is too vain and hasty to have that concentration. And I am not weak myself, though I think I will reveal my true aura to conserve energy."

Luliana looked up in surprise. "Your Highness! You would reveal your true appearance to Pravus? She would kill you without even a word! Not to mention the countless enemies that would gladly destroy the light to Azarath. They will come swarming over once they detect your pure aura!"

"That is a risk I am willing to take."

The girl was shocked once more into silence. Then she started to laugh softly.

"You really love him don't you?" she ventured quietly.

Raven was silent for an endless moment. Then, so softly that Luliana wasn't sure that she had hear it, the sorceress replied.

"Yes."

The empath stood up and took off her cloak. She took Luliana's hand, and slowly shed the shields placed on her aura. After a while a light started to fill the room, dim at first, then steadily growing in intensity. Luliana closed her eyes against the brilliance as it grew. After a while it cleared and revealed Raven… though not quite.

Raven had been replaced with a beautiful girl with sapphire hair that tumbled well past her waist. An opal was set in the center of her beautiful face. Her skin was pale but had the distinctive tint of sun that athletic people often have. Sky blue eyes with long lashes shone with determination, and she was outfitted with a cerulean leotard. A belt of opals hung at her waist, accentuating her hourglass figure, and on the fingerless gloves the same color as her leotard. A glowing opal necklace hung on her slender neck. Even Starfire looked plain compared to Raven.

"Ki-Raven, you're truly look magnificent." Luliana said, curtsying deeply. Raven started braiding her wavy hair and nodded for Luliana to stand.

"I am Kiara now, the heir to Azarath. But you don't have to curtsy to me, or call me Your Highness. I do have one thing to command you as princess of Azarath."

"Anything Kiara."

"No matter what you hear, see, or sense, don't come after me."

"But my lady…"

"Don't come after me. I can take care of myself."

Reluctantly, Luliana curtsied once more. "Of course, my lady."


	7. Fight for the Crown

Kiara flew quickly toward the invisible signal Pravus was broadcasting. She arrived at and old abandoned warehouse far from the city, once used to hold nuclear waste. It was huge, almost the size of a city block and as tall as an apartment building. Pravus was lounging lazily on a futon when Kiara arrived, wearing a beribboned fuchsia dress. She sat up in surprise at the sight of the princess, but quickly recovered and stroked the large bear that sat next to her.

"So you have decided to show up." she hissed as the werebear shifted and growled at her touch. The gaudy gold crown on her head glimmered red because of the numerous rubies embedded on its surface.

"Where is Robin?" Kiara demanded in a beautiful voice without a trace of her gravelly monotone. The queen shivered at the sound.

"Unharmed, as promised." Pravus raised a hand and the werebear went into the shadows at the far corner of the room. The bear came back dragging an unconscious Boy Wonder by his yellow and black cape. Kiara distinctly heard the low growl of many other werebears in the darkness, but was too preoccupied with Robin's condition to worry about it much. She ran to him and healed his numerous scrapes and bruises with her blue healing magic. Pravus flicked a finger while she was doing this and a werebear lumbered out of the darkness towards Kiara.

A brilliant white wall of magic appeared, cutting Pravus and her werebears off from Kiara and Robin. Kiara didn't even look up. Robin's wounds healed quickly and cleanly, so Kiara looked up and saw in the glow of her shield a hundred werebears leering at her from the shadows. The shield disappeared, and all the bears came at the two teens at once.

Kiara raised her hands and all the werebears were simultaneously flung back and knock unconscious by the white magic that blew them away. Pravus ground her teeth in annoyance before rising up off the futon.

"If one on one combat is what you wish, so be it." she said, scowling. Her eyes glowed red.

"Destructioros!" she cried, waving her hand at Kiara, who dodged the spell. The floor crumbled into dust where the spell had hit. The princess retaliated by throwing the couch at the queen. It crashed against her back, but Pravus didn't even flinch.

"My dear, it will take much more than that to defeat me!" she cackled as the pieces of the couch fell to the floor. Pravus carelessly flicked a finger at Kiara and an orb of black fire was flung at the princess. The orb was about to hit when the light seemed to bend and Kiara disappeared.

Pravus spun around wildly, looking for the missing girl. She turned around once more, just in time for a glowing white fist to smash into her cheek with a loud crunch. The queen screamed in agony as Kiara executed a perfect roundhouse kick to her ribs, which promptly broke. Pravus doubled over with pain, trying to gather enough breath to try a spell.

"Letum." Pravus wheezed, pointing her shaking finger at Kiara. A beam of red light was shot at the princess. She flipped backwards to avoid the death spell, and was forced to put up a shield of light to stop another spell from hitting her. Pravus continued to shoot death spells at Kiara, who gracefully dodged them. Then one clipped her shoulder and she collapsed.

"Yes!" Pravus screeched in triumph. She walked forward to the fallen princess, only to find that her feet were rooted to the ground. She tugged at them, to no avail. Then Kiara spoke.

"I knew that you would be hasty and wish to use a death spell. Tell me, did anyone care to mention to you that death spells have no effect on the children of immortals?" she asked, still lying on the floor. Pravus opened her mouth to speak, but found that her voice would not work. She looked more closely and saw thin threads of white magic coming from Kiara. The magic was binding Pravus and holding her prisoner.

Pravus briefly struggled with the spell before Kiara released her tongue. Kiara got up slowly, blue magic healing the gash she had obtained from the death spell.

"Fool!" Pravus yelled, vainly trying to free the rest of her body from the spell. "It will take more than the blood of immortals to defeat me!"

Pravus was then violently flung backward, slamming through several of the warehouse walls with an impressive crash. When the dust cleared, Kiara walked toward Pravus and saw her arm hanging at and awkward angle and blood dripping from a deep wound on her back. Pravus still tried to stand up despite her numerous injuries. Ebony hair concealed her face, hiding the gashes that covered her unpleasant features.

"You are right Pravus. It will take more than the blood of immortals to defeat you. Have you ever seen an elemental?" Kiara asked quietly.

The queen's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Of course not." she snapped "They have been extinct for centuries. Ordinary creatures do not have the element fire in their blood."

"Born of earth, thirst for water, and need for air. That is an ordinary mortal. Who was my father Pravus?"

Now Pravus saw the connection. Her eyes widened in fear, and her struggle to stand grew more frantic.

"Trigon, King of Fire." Kiara provided for the queen. Light seemed to be gathering around the girl until a glowing white aura covered her slim figure. She floated to the ceiling as her power grew. Pravus had to close her eyes against the brilliance of her aura.

The first element to be collected was earth. Green light seeped from the earth, slowly at first, then more and more quickly, until a steady stream of jade power rose into the air.

Air was the second element to come. White light, not unlike Kiara's aura, appeared seemingly out of nowhere, joining with earth.

The third element was water, a torrent of blue brilliance. Twisting and turning like a snake, water joined the first two elements in the growing column of elements.

Finally, fire came from Kiara herself. Red light streamed from her and joined the spiral of power above the princess. The elements combined in a deadly but beautiful dance of radiance and power. After the last element joined, the joined elemental powers formed into Kiara's symbol: the raven. The raven flashed sea blue, grass green, snow white, and rose red impossibly fast, until the colors spun by in a brilliant show of tints and shades.

"Azarath Mentrion Zinthos!"

The raven flew toward the injured queen, exploding in a burst of light as it made contact with her. Pravus screamed as she was instantly vaporized by the elements. The gaudy crown she wore clattered to the ground.

Kiara floated down gently, sky blue eyes closed and her face peaceful. After a moment, she opened her eyes and walked over the the fallen crown. She picked it up and held it in her elegant hands. The crown shifted and coiled for a second before returning to its true form as a simple gold circlet with ivy designs etched into the metal. Kiara placed it on her head and if her aura had been revealed at that moment, it would have been brighter than ever.

"The true princess of Azarath has claimed her crown once more. Pravus's reign of evil has come to the end." she said softly. Then Robin shifted and woke up. Kiara's long, wavy blue hair changed back to cropped violet hair instantly. When she opened her eyes, they were customary purple and her red gem was present on her forehead once more. The gold circlet disappeared.

"Raven?" he murmured, trying to keep his eyes open.

"It's okay Robin, you're safe." she said, her voice once more a rasping monotone. Robin shook his head slowly, trying to think through the pounding headache he had.

"Kiara… you're Kiara…" he whispered. Raven's heart skipped a beat.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm Raven." the sorceress said, voice tense.

"I saw you… why didn't you tell me?" he struggled to get the words out. His body was still weak from being knocked around by Pravus.

Raven smiled sadly. "I couldn't tell you, and I still can't." she said, appearance returning once more. "It's best if you forget."

"How… can I? You look… so different. In a good…way."

"It's best if you forget." Kiara repeated in her musical tone. Robin's eyes widened with realization.

"You… you were the one… on the roof…"

"It's best if you forget." she said once more before giving Robin a soft kiss on his forehead. He looked up, and slowly fell asleep. Raven appeared once more and laid her hand on Robin's sleeping chest. A black raven enveloped them both as Raven teleported them to the Titans Tower.


	8. The End

"Robin, Robin?" a voice above him called. He felt like telling it to go away, but his mouth wouldn't work. His head hurt, but he was soft and warm here, with the smell of sandalwood around him. He didn't want to get up.

"Robin!"

Robin felt himself being violently shaken awake by a very strong someone. He blearily opened his eyes and saw a worried Starfire in front of him.

"Ugh, Star, just five more minutes…"

"Over my glakjo utylqi! You've been sleeping for over two days!"

The Boy Wonder wearily rubbed his eyes and sat down the bed. After a second he realized that he was in the infirmary. Raven was sitting next to him with a worried expression on her usually calm face. Beastboy and Cyborg were also nearby, reading the computer.

"What do you mean two days?" he asked, feeling more awake by the second. His head hurt twice as much as it did, and the bright lights weren't helping much either. Wincing, he tried to stand, but had to be caught by Raven to stop from falling over.

"Dude, you better stay in the infirmary for a while. You're really weak." Cyborg offered, eyes still fixed on the screen. He seemed confused.

"What happened exactly?"

The Titans shared a look. "We were hoping you could tell us. Raven sensed that you were in pain and flew to you as fast as she could. When she found you, you were unconscious and badly hurt. She healed you and transported you to the Tower. We've been waiting for you to wake up ever since." Beastboy responded.

"And you have not explained to us what has occurred!" Starfire cried, green eyes flashing indignantly. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the helpless Boy Wonder.

"I don't remember what occur-happened. All I remember is fighting Mumbo, then waking up here." he said, extremely irritable because of his headache. Raven placed her cool hand on his shoulder, and he flinched at the electricity he felt in it. Then his headache started to disappear as Raven's healing magic started to work. Soon the searing pain was gone.

"I really don't remember." he concluded after Raven let go of his shoulder. He looked around, then turned to Cyborg. "Where's Luliana?"

"She went back to Azarath. Apparently Pravus fled Azarath after a rebellion and now they have the real queen and princess back on the throne." Beastboy replied with a shrug.

"It is quite wonderful that they resolved the matter." the Tamaranian agreed. She flipped back her red hair, and Robin looked at Starfire closely. For the first time he noticed how her hair was only a deep red color, with no hints of highlighting at all. It looked flat, dull. Ordinary. Not like the subtle color changes in Raven's lilac hair…

"Robin, I wish to speak with you alone." Starfire said, looking pointedly at the other teens crowded in the infirmary. They hastily exited, Raven gliding out last. After Starfire was sure they were gone, she sighed and sat down next to Robin.

"Robin, after your long absence away from me, I believe that we were not meant to be girlfriend and boyfriend. I wish to be a girl who is a friend once more. Okay?"

Robin shrugged, wondering why he truly didn't care. "Okay, then we'll only be friends."

Starfire clapped her hands, though she seemed disappointed at his reaction. "I am glad that you see it this way. Let us exit and rejoin our friends." She opened the doors and floated out. Robin sat there a second longer, than slowly and stiffly got up and followed Starfire out of the infirmary.

"So how was your talk?" Beastboy asked, hoping that his curiosity was not too prominent. Robin shrugged his shoulders before sweeping past the shape shifter to the living room.

"Starfire decided we should just be friends." he replied after sitting on the couch and turning on the TV. Raven was standing at the windows that replaced an entire wall. The sun was high in the sky and the entire sky was a brilliant blue. She was staring at the spectacular view of the ocean, barely stiffening when she heard Robin say that.

"Dude, you got rejected!" the green changeling cackled, holding his sides as he doubled over with laughter. Robin shrugged again.

"Honestly, she's a little clingy. And naïve." he responded, flipping through the channels. Beastboy continued to laugh, rolling back and forth along the ground.

Cyborg stuck his head into the living room.

"Yo, keep it down in there! Some people are trying to make lunch!" he shouted, adding to the noise.

"Robin…got…rejected…by…Starfire!" Beastboy gasped, tears of mirth streaming from his eyes. Robin ignored them and slid his eyes sideways to rest on the dark sorceress. She seemed so calm, watching the waves reflect the sunlight. Her long blue hair caught the light in such a breathtaking way…

Robin blinked several times. Blue? No purple, purple hair. What was he thinking? The sunlight had shone on her hair, making it seem like she was wearing a gold circlet. Robin rubbed his eyes and Raven returned to normal. He stood up and walked towards the empath, stopping to admire the view next to her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said quietly, watching a small boat sail slowly away. Raven nodded slowly, a smile lighting up her face. Robin was thinking how pretty his teammate was when he remembered that he had just broken up with Starfire.

"Quite a sight." she replied, not taking her eyes off the ocean. She seemed very tranquil, not wishing to destroy perfect moments with words like Starfire did. Robin respected that aspect of his teammate. Suddenly, he gently moved a strand of purple hair from her face, then took her hand. He quickly dropped it when Raven gave him a strange look.

"I…sorry about that." he murmured, blushing. Raven didn't reply, turning back to the window without a word.

"No need." she whispered before gently taking his gloved hand in her pale white one.

They turned and stood together, watching the sun climb higher in the sky.

THE END!!!


End file.
